Media buy-outs: ABP-Star, Zee-DB and Jagran-NaiDunia

The two have been operating the news television venture Media Content & Communications Services India (MCCS) over the past nine years. MCCS broadcasts three 24-hour news channels. ABP is buying out Star’s 26% stake in the venture, to manage the show on its own.

In another development, Zee group is reportedly close to buying out Dainik Bhaskar (DB) Corp from Diligent Media Corporation, which publishes DNA, the daily English language newspaper.

Jagran Prakashan has announced the acquisition of NaiDunia Media Limited, by acquiring the publishing house’s parent company Suvi Info Management (Indore).

In a media note issued to the BSE, Mahendra Mohan Gupta, chairman and managing director, Jagran Prakashan, said, “This was a logical market expansion for us and enables us to strengthen our presence in central India. With the acquisitions, we are well on our way towards implementing our strategy for inorganic growth through mergers and acquisitions as, on the one hand, it allows to begin with a sizeable scale with much lesser investment and, on the other, it saves long gestation period typical of print industry.”